Rotary intermittent feed mechanism



July 4, 1950 G. B. scHEFFEY ROTARY INTERMITTENT FEED MECHANISM s sheets sheet l Filed Nov 27' 1944 July 4, 1950 G. a. scHEl-'FEY 2,5143@ ROTARY INTERMITTENT FEED MECHANISM Filed Nov. 27, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 4, 1950 G. B. scHl-:FFEY 2,514,2m

ROTARY INTERMITTENT FEED MECHANISM Patented July 4, 1950 ROTARY INTERMITTENT FEED MECHANISM George B. Scheffey, Reading, Pa., assignor to J. H. Sternbergh, Reading, Pa.

Application November 27, 1944, Serial No. 565,275

(Cl. 27l-2.4)

11 Claims. 1

This invention relates to feed mechanism and more particularly to an intermittent feed mechanism adapted to be used with a high speed punch or die press where a strip of metal is fed to the press to be formed thereby into the desired article.

In presses of this kind it is usual to form first pilot holes in the strip whereby it is thereafter fed a uniform distance as each successive die or punching operation takes place. The present invention is directed primarily to mechanism for feeding a strip of material to the press in uniform amounts at each cycle of the feed mechanism and it is a main object of this invention to Iprovide feed mechanism which will be extremely accurate and reliable and at the same time one-, l

which may be easily and quickly adjusted for feeding the material any desired predetermined amount without rebound.

A further object is to provide a feed mechanism in which the original setup of adjustment may be quickly made and subsequently permit minor adjustments while the machine is in operation as may be necessary.

It sometimes happens that after a machine has been running for an appreciable length of time, it is said to warm up and subsequent adjustments of a very minor character may be necessary to permit the pilot pin to enter the pilot holes in the strip more exactly.

Further, as the metal strip to be operated upon frequently comes in large coils, it is necessary to make adjustments as the size of the coil diminishes for there is less momentum to the strip which gradually causes a slight variation in the amount of feed. It is, therefore, a further object to provide a brake adapted to coact with the feed mechanism to insure a more exact periodic feed of uniform amounts.

A further object is to provide a mechanism of the above character having relatively few parts which may be inexpensively manufactured and assembled.

A further object is to provide a mechanism forming a substantially independent unit which may be attached to or secured to any desired form of punch or die press and be removed therefrom as desired.

A further object is to lprovide an eflicient mechanism of the above character in which all the operating parts are connected to a single mainsource of power on the press itself.

Other objects will be in part obvious from the annexed drawings and in part hereinafter indicated in connection therewith by the following analysis of this invention. l

This invention accordingly consists inthe features of construction, combination of parts, and in the unique relation of the members and in the relative proportioning and disposition thereof, all as more completely outlined herein.

To enable others skilled in the art fully to comprehend the underlying features of this invention, that they may embody the same by the amodications in structure and relation contemplated' by the invention, drawings depicting the preferred embodiments of the invention form a partof this disclosure, and in such drawings like characters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the several views in which- Fig. 1 is a side elevational View of the `complete unit adapted to besecured to the die press.

Figs. 2 and 2a are -the upper and lower portions of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1, taken at right angles thereto.

Fig. 3- is a detailed view of the feed roller release mechanism partly in section.

Fig. 4 is a detailedview ofthe brake mechanism.

Figs. 5 and 6 are detailviews of a release attachment.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged diagrammatic View of a portion of` the structure of Fig. 5 showing the pivotal connection between the link for raising and lowering a feed roll and the link operating arm. y

Referring now to the drawings in detail, Fig. 2 will first be considered, wherein a main drive shaft l0, mounted in lsuitable bearings Il, is secured on brackets I2 bolted to the frame of the press not shown in detail. This shaft I 0 is driven from any convenient source of vpower preferably that used in driving the press by means of a sprocket I4 mounted at one end of the shaft l0. The opposite end of this shaft is provided with a crank disc l5 upon which is mounted a slide IB for a block l1 (Fig. 1) which may be moved relatively with respect to the center of the disc l5 thereby to vary the stroke of the pin I8 as the disc revolves.

Mounted upon the pin I 8 is a reciprocating connecting link or crank arm 2l preferably formed in two lparts as-shown which parts are connected by means of an adjusting turn buckle 22 held in adjusted position by lock nuts 23. The lower end of this two-part connecting rod 2| is provided with a pin 24 to which is attached a link 25 terminating in a pin 26 at one end of link 21 mounted upon a shaft 28 carrying in a bearing the lower of two feed rollers 30 and 3 I..

Also on the pin 24 is a second link 32 the opposite end of which is vpivotally mounted on a pin 33 at one end of an adjusting screw 34 sldably movable in a block 35 constituting a fixed part of the frame. A micrometer screw and nut 36 is also mounted on this adjusting screw 34 and operating between fixed abutments 3l and 38 on the frame whereby as this nut 36 is turned the adjusting screw is moved to the right or left according. toqthle direction in which the nut 36 is turned. Thus if the screw 534 is moved towards the right such movement will cause a relative movement of the pin 24 to the right thereby changing the normal angle between the links 2l and 25 to vary the up dwr'i throw of the arm 2l which, of course, Willvary the amount of material fed between the feed rollers 3&9 and 3 i As previously stated this feed mechanism is of the intermittent type adapted to feed apredetermined amount of material indicated bythe strip 49 at each cyclegof operation. Therefore, the feed rolls 3l) and 3i have a counter-clockwise movement during the upstroke of the connecting "rod 2l at which time theyfengage the lower and "upper surfaces of the strip 4G, respectively, but

'on the downstrohe of the link 2i it is necessary that these feed rollers be 'out of actual feeding contactfwith the strip. Accordingly, means must be '.'provided for 'slightly separating the centers fof the rollers during this downstroke to prevent a )backward or reboundlmvernent of the strip.

R'everting to Fig. 2 vthere is mounted on the na'in powerv shaft il! a Vrotary cam '4i having a ,'i'aised adjustable portion 42 co'acting with a "roller 43' which is ,normally urged into engagement with the cam 'by means of a spring 44 `Vse't'zured [at one end t'o a 'fixed bracket 45l and its lower end toa pivotally'mounted arm et. This 48 secured V'to 'the frame'of 'the pressr.l` lrlhe outer end of thearm has a pin 50 forming Va pivot for the lower end oan adjustable tie rod l the upper end of which rod is 'pivoted at 52 to an arm 53 .pivotall'y vmountedon bracket 45,

the end of which latter arm 'carries the cam roller 43 cooperating with the cam. Thusv the frame of the press'garms 46 and 53, 'and adjustable turn .buckle link 5i constitute a .flexible'parallel'ogram .fin Vwhich the roller 43 'is always held yieldingly upon the top of .-'a block 51 inwhich is journaled -shaft '28d carrying 'the'fe'e'd roller 3i, and adjustable 'stop '58 'will limit 'the 'upward movement -of this block 51 which is normally forced upe ward-1y by means of spring to on the underside of 'the block which 'spring reacts against a second block 6| which carries the lower feed roll 39. lThus when the downward 'pressure exerted l uponthe--link'SB is released by the upward movement 0f thelnk 5| then `the blocks 51 'and r'5| `are slightly separated .by the action of the spring 50 to the extent of "a `'few thousandth's of an inch which is sufficient relieve vthe feeding action "on 'the strip bythe feed'roll'er.

I'norder to control therate of 'speed of the strip 40 and render the same uniform, 'there is provided a brake mechanismy as shown at the right of Fig. 1,wh'ich includes "a rectangular chamber :62 having, in this case, two transverse shafts 63 of angular cross section to each of which is fixed and inclined plate or finger 64 shown in Fig. 4. These plates or tension lingers, as they are sometimes called, are adapted to bear downwardly upon the upper surface of the strip 4) with the desired pressure. The plates B4 are mounted upon rock shafts B3 and about one end of each there is an adjustable coil spring 65 one end of which t6v is fixed to a side wall of the box B2 while the opposite end El is fixed to an adjusting nut EP3 which is adapted to be secured to the shaft 63 by means of a cotter or the like l!! whichen'gages 'in a recess in the nut 58. Nut B8 is slidable along shaft t3 and when released Ifrime the cotter pin 'le by pressing it inward against the action of the spring 65 may be turned around the shaft 6.1i. It will thus be seen that by pressing the nut toward the left in Fig. 4, turningt'he nut and allowing it to move backward to the right so that the cotter pin 'lil reengages in the notch the tension of the spring and ccnsequently the pressure of the plate 64 on the strip ylli) may `be set at adiierent value.

The parts just described with relation to Fig. 4 are shown in their assembled relation in Fig. 2a; which also shows the mounting of the feed The 4shafts carrying the feed -rollers 'are preferably mounted in two sets of bearings 7i and 'i2 land carry vgears 'i3 whereby the two shafts upon which the feed rollers are 'mounted are geared together to rotate uniformly. By mounting the shafts in this manner any relative' angular motion is positively prevented.

While the operation of the present machine 'is vclear from the above description, the entire series of 'steps and operation 'may be brieiiy summed as follows:

In setting up the machine for operation the distance vthat the strip is to be moved at each cycle is definitely determined in accordance with the article to Ibe made by the die press, which 'incidentally may be of that type shown and described in my prior United States Patent No. 2,318,107. The 'first adjusting means shown at the top of Fig. 1 Yis operated to determine the stroke of the connecting 'rod 2i which of course has a direct 'relationship to the intermittently operating feed rollers 3B and 3l. The strip is then passed into the machine 'from the right and under the brake or 'tension fingers 64 until it coa'cts `with the periphery of the adjacent vfeed rollers. These feed rollers are 'separated until vthe vend :of the strip coacts with a stop in xed relation to the first punch and pilot pin. The vmacl'iin'e vis then started 'to operate synchronously with the 'diepress and the strip moves forwardly y'fthe action ofthe springs "d4 and l6i).

to the left under 'the action of the feed rollers.

This takes place as previously explained only on the Fup stroke ofthe 'connecting rod. As soon -as this rod reaches the top of its stroke, then "the cam v112 shown -in Fig. 3 is in 'position to permit the cam roller 43 to move upwardlyunder This causes a rocking of the shaft 4'! in 'a counter-clockwise 'direction thereby relieving the down pressure 'of n other as clearly shown in Fig. 2a. Then Von the downwardmovement of the 4connecting link 2| the rollers operate in a reverse direction without moving the workfs'trip 7a'tiall. iOn completion of this downward movement of the con- 'i necting rod 2| the cam 42 has completed its half cycle to depress again the roller 43 and rock' the shaft 41 in a clockwise direction thus 14,to exert through the link 56 a downward pressure Vupon the block carrying the feed roll 3l and compress the springs 60 whereupon the feed 'rollers are in a position again to feed the Work strip 4D towards the left as soon as the up stroke begins.

lIf the strip is feeding sluggishly the brake fingers G4 are adjusted as may be necessary to ease the braking action. These ngers, however,

l should always bear upon the strip with sucient force to prevent any movement of the strip by reason of its momentum and prevent rebound.

If for any reason the pilot pin is not properly coacting with the pilot holes in the work strip,

this may be easily and completely corrected While the machine is still operating by turning the micrometer nut 36 in the desired or necessary direction, thereby to change the extent of stroke or the effective length of the connecting link -`between the points I8 and 26.

' It will be noted from the construction shown in Fig. l, that a relatively larger adjusting movement of the pivot 33 will result in a relatively small change in the extent of oscillation of the Y' feed' roll. In other words this adjustment is a micrometer adjustment.

` as indicated in Fig. 5 having a base the same 'as ,54 and two included members 1l and 12 joined at the top and formed at the top with an l opening or hole 13. An arm 14 is keyed to a shaft 55' rotatably mounted in the base portion of the arm 54 and shaft 55 is formed with an eccentric portion 15 which forms a pivotal bearing for the upper end of link 56. Arm 14 carries an operating handle 16 at its upper end and handle 1S carries a locking pin 11, which is adapted to engage in the opening 13 or in an opening 18 in the shaft 5U at the outer end of lever 54. This handle and pin are of Well known construction whereby when the handle is pulled out against the action of an internal spring (not shown) the pin 11 will be removed from the hole T3 whereby the arm 14 is free to be swung downwardly to normal position when the pin may engage a hole 18 in the shaft 50 to lock the parts in position.

It will thus be seen that in normal operation the lever 14 is in its horizontal position with the pin 11 engaging the recess or hole 18. If, however, the machine should stop with the feed rollers 30 and 3l in feeding engagement, a simple movement of the handle 16 to its vertical position as shown in Fig. 5 causes the eccentric bearing 15 to move to the position shown in Fig. 6 thereby to raise the link 55 which normally presses down on the top of the upper feed roll 3| against the action of the spring 6B to hold these positively in feeding relation until released by the up stroke of the link 5I supplemented by the action of the spring 44.

It is thus seen that the present invention is directed to a simple and practical feed mechanism for metallic strip passing to a die press 6 or the like, in which the strip is to be fed intermittently and in exact predetermined amount. The mechanism primarily permits an easy: and quick setup in the initial stages as Well as refinements of initial adjustments while the machine is still operating, not only to control and 'rectify the rate of feed, but the extent of feed thereby to insure reliability and efficiency of operation at all times.

While it will be apparent that the illustrated embodiments of this invention herein disclosed are well calculated adequately to fulfill the objects and advantages primarily stated, it is to be understood that the invention is susceptible to variation, modifications and changes within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

I claimi l. An intermittent rotary feed mechanism of the character described, in combination, a crank arm, a disc upon which it is pivotally connected at one end, a link at the other end of the crank arm, feed rolls actuated by said link cam actuated means positively holding the said feed rolls in engagement with the strip to be fed during substantially half the cycle of operation and spring releasing means for holding the rolls out of engagement during the other half cycle while the punching is taking place. and means for adjusting the end of said crank arm with respect to the center of the disc to which it is connected to vary the effective length of stroke of said link.

2. An intermittent feed mechanism of the character described, in combination, a crank arm, a disc upon which it is pivotally supported, a roller feed device, means for positively holding said device in feeding engagement during substantially half of each cycle of operation, an oscillating link normally arranged at an angle to said arm and connected to the feed device at one end and to the outer end of the crank arm at its other end, means for adjusting the end of said crank arm with respect to the center of the disc to which it is connected, means for varying the length of the rod, and means for changing the angle between the arm and connecting link to vary the feed of material.

3. An intermittent feed mechanism of the character described, in combination, a reciprocating link member, a roller feed device, means for positively holding said device in feeding engagement duringk substantially one half each cycle of operation, a link normally in angular relation to said reciprocating link member and connecting said member with one roller of said feed device, means for adjusting the amount of feed by varying the angle between the two links and thus changing the amount of reciprocation of the feed, a source of power and operating connections between said source and said member 4. An intermittent feed mechanism of the character described, in combination, a reciprocating member, a roller feed device, means for positively holding said device in feeding engagement during substantially one half of each cycle of operation, a link normally in angular relation to said reciprocating member and connecting said member with one roller of said feed device, means for adjustinng the amount of feed by varying the amount of reciprocation of the reciprocating member, other feed adjusting means comprising a device mounted on the frame of the machine for varying the angle between the reciprocating member and connecting a source .of vpowernand. operating connecf'tions :between said source and reciprocating .fmember.

5. An intermittent feed mechanism of 1 the character described, .in combination, a recipro- 1 yeating member, a roller feed device including 'two cooperating rollers between which thework `is fed, means for positively pressing ysaid roller against the work during substantially onefhalf lof the cycle of operation whereby the work is;l

fed and means separating said rollers during -the other half of saidcycle, a link normally at an angle to said reciprocating member Aand connecting the member and one roller of the feed device, means for adjusting the feed by varying;l

the amount of reciprocation of the reciprocating member and means for adjusting the feed by varying the angle vbetween said Vmembers :and link, a source' of power and operating connections 'between ysaid source and members.

6.` An 'intermittent feed mechanism .of the character described, in combination, a crank arm, a disc upon which it is pivotal-ly supported,

a roller feed device, means .forpositively hold-ing 4said device in feeding engagement during -sub.

stantially half ofl each cycle of operation, an oscillating link normally arranged atan angle to said .arm-and connected to lthefeed device .at one end and lto the outer A.end of the crank arm 'at its other end, and means for vchanging the, langle 'between thecrank arm and the connecting link to the feed roller.

7. An -intermittent feed -mechanism :of the character described, in combination, a source of power, a rotatable member driven thereby, a

icrank arm pivotally mounted on said member,v

means for adjusting said arm with respect vto the center of said member, va feed mechanism comprising two rollers between whichmaterial `is fed, means for positively pressing .said rollers against thematerial for feeding the same during substantially one half .of lthe cycle of Operation, a link for driving vone of the feed rollers and connected between said one roller and said crank arm, said link being ,normally arranged at angle `to said arm and means for varying .said angle `to adjustthe amountof 'material fed.

8. An intermittent feed mechanism `of the character described, in combination a source of power, 4a disc rotated thereby, a reciprocating link pivote-ily mounted .on the disc, feed rollers,

a feed roller Aoperating link connected to .a roller .and to said first named link and normally arranged atan angle to said first named link, means for varying said angle to adjust the amount of.

.material fed, a Amovable bearing for one of the rollers, means for pressing said rollers against the material to be fed for feeding the rsame and for .releasing the pressure on the rollers, said .last

.named means :including a cam operated v`by Said r source and :connections between said camI and said'bearing.

9. The `intermittent feed mechanism asset .forth in claim 8 wherein springs are provided for `separating the rollers on release of said pressure.

l10.- An intermittent feed mechanism .of .the characterwdescribed, in combination, a pairuof feed rollers between which the material to'fbe `vacted upon'is passed, spring means for moving said rollers out of feeding engagement during substantiallyone half of the cycle of opera-tion and means for positively pressing said feed rollers into feeding engagement with said ,material during the remaining half of the cycle, said latter means including 'a source of pressure l.and

operating connections between said sourceand .a frame, a roller feed device .mounted Tvon ,said

frame, means for operating said device to intermittently feed material, said means including; a

y.drive and two links pvotally connected respectively at one end tothe device and to the .drive and pivotally-connected together at their opposite ends, and arranged at an angle to one another, athird link .pivoted at one end to a point relatively xed with respect to the frame and at ythe .other end to the point of connection between said first named links and manual means for .adjusting Ithe position of said relatively fixed point -to change the angular relation of said rst named links and the amount of feed produced by said feed device.

GEORGE B. SCHEFFEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following lreferences are of record ,inl .the

-flle -of this patent:

'UNITED 'STATES PATENTS Number Name Date '734,215 Bilgram July 21, 41903 1,947,015 Littell Feb. 13, 1934 V1,975,122 I' Potdevin Oct. 2, 1:'934 2,006,040 y Crane June`25, 1935 2,330,119 Giien Sept. v21, *1943 

